There is no "green" consumerism!

In my efforts of leading a more environmental friendly life, I have developed a strong habit of buying second hand clothes. In my opinion, it's the best option to get out of a never-ending circle of buying cheap, badly produced stuff that then has to be replaced frequently, leading you to buy more.


But... this habit has also left me in the cheapo-corner a bit too much. There are things that are not easy to buy secondhand, especially now that I am not living within foot's reach of several of these shops anymore. 
The problem I've talked about and that brought this matter to my attention was shoes. I realised that if I really need something and can't go with "reduce-reuse-recycle", I have to push myself to buy quality stuff. 

source

Now today I came across an article on Curiosity. com called "How could buying green ever be bad for the environment?"  Well, how could it?

"Environmental experts worry that while buying green may lead to more guilt-free shopping, it will lead to more shopping, nonetheless."

Even if we have the best of intentions; we have been raised to be consumers, and we like easy solutions because mother nature made us lazy. We read about a good brand or a 'green' store, or that buying secondhand is ok and our mind goes something like "right, easy, I just buy *this brand/at this store/secondhand* and I can still shop as much as I want, it will be green."

It's not. 


Consuming can never be green.


"The idea that buying products can lead to sustainability is actually misleading, because it can yield increased consumption, which is bad for the environment regardless of whether the product is green."


Of course, shops, brands and companies know us almost better than we do ourselves, and they have jumped on the bandwagon of our ecofriendly consciousness.

"The movement to buy green, or eco-friendly, products typically manifests in what environmental experts call "small step movements," urging consumers to purchase products marketed as environmentally safe. These purchases might serve to make the consumer feel better, like they're enacting positive change for the environment, but may have inadvertently negative effects."

Even with the most normal items and with organic certificats that can be widely trusted, organic is not always the best option:

"Similarly, scientists have found that the transportation of mass-produced food -- which occurs in bulk -- can create less pollution and carbon dioxide than the distribution of organic foods, which occur more frequently in smaller batches."

Sorry humans, there is no easy way. And there is no way you can leave your brain switched off and just follow the big green umbrella the way our nice, greenwashed capitalist cooperations want you to believe. It's thinking and balancing and deciding for the smaller evil and tripping and getting up again and changing directions and being fooled and working hard and catching up and making yourself smart

all.the.time.

That's just the truth... It may seem hard but hey: Don't worry, it's what we were born to do. Or why else would we have a brain to think our own thoughts? Please don't be a consumerism zombie. And don't be an organic-is-all-I-eat-and-so-I'm-better-than-you-zombie either, it doesn't do any good for anybody if you're anything else than the clever, think-for-yourself individual who realises that there is only one earth.

Read the full article.

 

Oh, and for those who don't know it yet, or haven't watched in a while: Please, please watch this video:







(Did you ever realise, that it has become more and more normal to wish each other "happy shopping!"?? Crazy!! Well, I won't... I'll say....)
Happy thinking! ;o)

Happy Wednesday!

Hey folks and happy Wednesday! (wow, sometimes I feel like my blog is the only thing that reminds me of the weekdays... isn't that cool? ^^)
Today's the day. The day where I feel better, and not only better: It's the other end of the scale. I've been running through the house cleaning everything and baking bread, singing and dancing along with my favourite songs. The sun is shining and life is great.

 source

And no, I don't understand myself either. :o)

Soo, just wanted to let you know there's positive days in my life, too. (Hah!)
And I have a little fun video to show you that I put together last night. It's a few snippets of things that I filmed on our trip and that I put together randomly. From feeding a duckling and riding bikes in a Dutch park to an impormptu brass band concert and the Drag Queen Olympics: Lots of fun stuff! ;o)

I hope it will give you some impressions of what we've been up to and make you curious for the Travel Tales series I have coming up where I'll tell you more about each place we've been to and show you some additional stuff about the traveling.


Oh! The places you will go...! from yaga on Vimeo.

Have the brightest of Wednesdays!!

Creating success around the world

Welcome to
Creating Success around the World

The worldwide blog hop tour, that introduces you to creative people from all corners of the globe.

Every Wednesday our hosts on each continent will introduce you to someone new whose creativity is inspiring!

Here's how you can take this worldwide tour with us:

You can follow all the hosts to support them and keep up to date with the fabulous posts they will share every week.  Then if you are inspired to join, just link up your own blog to make some new international friends.

Remember to leave us a comment when you follow us so we can follow you back! And of course we'd love if you added our button to your site to help spread the word!


<center><a href="http://theshinybubble.blogspot.com/search/label/creating%20success%20around%20the%20world"><img border="0" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5154/5885118262_70f75d2c7f_m.jpg"/></a></center>
Here are your hosts:
Make sure you visit them all to see the inspiration and creative people every continent has to add to our community.
Australasia - Jill @ Creating my way to Success
Europe - Yaga @ The Shiny Bubble
The Americas - Suzy @ Suzy's Artsy Craftsy Sitcom
Asia - Janelle @ Of Pinks and Fairytales
Africa - Adepeju @ Peekadot

---------------------------------------------------------------- Europe

Hey creative people! My post today is going to be a bit special. There's no interview,  because I decided to introduce you to several European artists all in one go in a special summer feature.

Are you having a bit of a summer down with your creativity? Has the weather been too hot or too nasty for your ideas to bubble? 

Or are you savouring the holiday time, creating beautiful things from dusk 'till dawn? 

Whatever your situation, there can never be too much inspiration, right?

Here are five things that inspire me to create in summer - out of various reasons. And one handpicked etsy shop with each of them to illustrate my cause. ;o)

Cute, popping colors, sweet and cold, they come in all flavours... what more is there to say? Ice cream is certainly a big summer favourite for everyone and if you create with colors, it's a great theme to pick for your next item. You still have to choose though - rainbow, stracciatella, choccolate, strawberry & cream??

Here's a cute pair of popsickle earrings by Aidolls from Germany - because your ears like ice cream, too! 

Dangler earrings by Aidolls

We get a lot of rain up here in the mountains. That's sometimes depressing, but most of the time it's just impressing - much more when the rain follows a massive thunderstorm like last night. You can see the lightning dancing on the mountaintops whilst the wind howls around the house and every thunderstroke shakes the house. Sometimes, sounds are a great inspiration!

I can prove it by showing you this great shop of Lee May in the UK who makes different items inspired by nature - lots of great rain items to brighten your mood, but also starry nights, flowers and cute animals!

Locket necklace by Bonbiforest

 

If it doesn't fall out of the sky, I love to watch water in other forms: I sit by the river behind our house and see the waves rush by, I jump into puddles, enjoy boatrides on the lake or head to the beach... the many many forms and facets of water are just like life: Absolutely breathtaking, changing and renewing every minute - and incredibly inspiring!

Look at this fantastic mosaic to see what I mean: It's fantastic how many qualities of water are caught in this artwork.

Green blue mosaic Jellyfish on mirror by Waschbaer Design (Switzerland)

I love the sensation of walking barefeet, wherever I go. Grass and soft grounds are a favourite of course, but sand and stones and even pavement are an adventure without shoes. Sometimes I slip them off in a supermarket, just to let my toes breath for a moment and let the soles of my feet have a look around. A different kind of input for your senses. 

Dachuksb sells handcrocheted foot ornaments on etsy - I am just so in love with them. I love foot jewelry but I have never seen anything like this and it's like a whole new world of possibilities has just been opened to me. This is my favourite, but there are many many more! Do check her out! 

Barefoot lace sandals by dachuksb

 

At the end of the day, if there is no thunderstorm, a campfire is the best way to enjoy the night around here. Not only because fires are just great, but also because it allows you to still sit outside when the temperatures are dropping. Staring into the fire, talking softly, listening to the sounds of the wood and looking up into the starry sky... and maybe a creative project on your lap is all that you need for total happiness. 

And if you still feel a bit chilly, wrap yourself in one of these breathtaking, recycled items straight from a fairytale forest, brought to you by Scrapunzelpixie from England. 

Sweater fairy coat by Scrapunzel

Thanks for reading my summer special! Look out for next week with another inspiring interview about creating, business and inspiration!

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Now it's your turn! Link up your posts: Inspiration, craftsy blahs, tutorials, tips or business talk: We wanna know!

Have fun hopping, reading, linking, connecting... take some time to share your love and inspiration by following, leaving comments and visiting each other.
Happy Wednesday! ;o)

New to the world tour? Check our previous tours here!

The productive power of letting go

Sharp title, ey? I'm really proud of that one! ;o)
Hum, well, jokes aside: If you are a seasoned reader and a cryptic post like my last one comes up you'll know that I'm having those days... Most probably, the red moon has risen, or something else as knocked me out of my usual positive and smiley self.
If you are new around here: Welcome!!! :o) - And now you know!


There are days like these, that's just a fact. I really hope writing about it doesn't dramatise it too much in your eyes. I really don't want that. I am very aware that there are people that are off much worse than me. Hell, even I was off worse than me a few months ago.
I'm doing FINE.


That doesn't change the fact that there are the days where I feel sensitive, cranky, gloomy, teary, not at all centered and not at all happy with my life and just generally out of tune with everything.
I write about it because it helps me. I write about it because I believe there is no sense in covering it up. I believe moods should not be banalised or ignored. They are part of what makes us human and they affect our lives and they are worth talking about.

source

I have never just hated my mood swings... I feel that even my deepest depressions have a value to me. They are experiences that made me who I am. Feeling down makes me think about everything in my life and often leads to new insights. And even though it helps just to write about it and have some sort of outlet when I feel dark, it is even more precious to write down the things that these days teach me, so here goes:

I have been feeling oddly 'off'' for a few days and suspected that it would have something to do with my period which actually proved true yesterday.
Trev tried to cheer me up. He's always so sweet. I mean, what guy plays puppet theatre with plush toys to cheer his girlfriend up? But then he made some kind of ironic joke and I knew it was a joke, but it still got to me and before I knew what happened I was crying.
So I just settled back into bed telling myself: "You are very officially completely bonkers for two days now, might as well enjoy the excuse."

And you know what? Instead of staying in bed all day feeling bad and not getting anything done, I stayed in bed a little bit, then did a tiny bit of tidying up (happily leaving the hard bits for later), then did some sketching, then read some blogs, then wrote in my diary, then colored a couple of sketches and then wrote five blogposts.
Don't know about you, but to me, compared with the past couple of days, that sounds hugely productive! It's what happens when you let go: You can actually relax and see things from a distance and see the fun in them again and start enjoying what you're doing once more. Letting go takes the weight of pressure away from my creative work (even though I don't consider myself a perfectionist, I still expect a lot of myself and I am easily frustrated) and gives me room for playful stuff that will then benefit my mojo.

I just hope I can remember this for next time... I tend to trip over that sort of thing again and again...

How is your creativity doing? If you'd like some inspiration, make sure to read my Creative Blog Hop post tonight, it's all about what's inspiring me this summer, with great featured artists!

 source

It's the days when your body and mind seem to turn on you.
When you notice an edginess to yourself that just won't go away with a good night's sleep.
And you could sleep 14 hours a day anyways.
When you're in need of a bath about every two hours, and you start to cry after somebody has told a joke, and not even you know why.
Oh and then one morning you wake up because somebody is trying to kill you with pain, from the inside out. And all the rest that I have grossed people out with on facebook more than enough. :oP

Those days a month when you go completely bonkers for no other reason than, as Trev put it: "The fact that the side effects of your hormons are not lethal is enough for nature. It doesn't go for perfect, it goes for good enough."

Screw you, nature!

The blog hop for tomorrow is scheduled, but ***Monday Friend*** is being skipped today, I'm sorry to say.

Best of Hamburg

I've spent quite some time thinking about how to blog my recent travels... it really is quite difficult for me: Whilst I am away I hardly find time and above all concentration to blog - but when I'm back it seems silly to write about something that already seems so far away.
Well, since there isn't much happening here at moment, well, we can talk about it anyway, no? ;o)

boat tour through the canals

We got to the city pretty late (but not as late as we thought) and checked into a nice enough hotel right behind the main station. I had booked that in advance so we'd have a place to sleep for the first night.
The next day, Piccoletta got us two nights at a really fancy place right at the harbour. I told you a little bit about it already. We spent two days exploring the city and then decided to use our last full day to go to Heligoland. We'd seen the ferry leave from right across the road from the hotel and were both curious - on the boatride and the island.

Miniature land

cocktails...

sunset from the panorama bar

sushi fit for a king

Heligoland is tiny (about one square kilometer, I think) and has been bombed down completely during the WW2. Therefore, most of the buildings on the island are from the fifties, and the whole thing is apparently undermined with a really big bunker. As a result, there are also not really any trees in the place. There are a lot of interesting birds nesting in the cliffs and you can see seals on the beach sometimes. We had a great time, running around barefoot and taking silly pictures.

the island

enjoying the sun

 

"Long Anna"

We spent the last night at the home of my friend Michael who was Trev's and my host the last time we stayed in the city. Michael is an author and he wrote the story of the book we are working on together atm. We made great food and talked a lot and looked at my sketches together.
The next morning we went into town to meet two of my other friends for lunch. It was great to see them again, even if it was only for a short time, before we caught our ride back to Zurich.

Planten en Blomen

I don't want to rant because there really are worse things than an uncomfortable ride, and I love ridesharing and I would never have gotten around so much this summer without that cheap option to travel. But, let's say I was very, very glad when we were back and arrived at our parent's place at about 4 am.

Hamburg is definitely worth a visit, again and again, it's one of the cities that always seem to hold something new to discover. :o)

Handmade = Expensive /= Overpriced!!

Awh, bugger! I had set this up to post yesterday, and blogger screwed it up... it always does when I forget to check if it really worked. >.<

Hello everyone, this is a bit of a random post that started off with me reading a nice article about handmade stuff:

“$70 for a t-shirt?!”

“I love your website, but everything on it is overpriced!”

“Your stuff is too expensive.”

“Are you rich or something?”

“I could make that for $5.”

“Sorry, but that’s a rip-off.”

“$80 for a hoodie? You’re not Gucci.”

I’ve heard it all. At first it hurt my feelings and made me worry that my prices were too high. Now it only baffles me that someone would say something so rude. This is my job. It may not be like your job. I don’t have a boss or regular hours, and I don’t have to drive to work or even get dressed for it (heh), but this is how I pay the bills.

I’m always tempted to asked these people, “How about I come down to where you work and tell your boss you’re overpaid?” Because that’s essentially what they’re saying.

Read the whole article

I came across this article on another blog and I liked it so much that I wanted to share it with you, too.

After more than half a year of downsizing, I am still learning tons of new stuff... I am very sensitive on people who happily shout out about every bargain they drag home from some sale where you know you'll be thrilled about the stuff for a few days at most and after a few months you will find a reason to get rid of it because it's broken, out of style or just boring.
At the same time, I am used to buying my stuff second hand and I have been a student and low on money most of my life - Gods, I do like cheap stuff!

When we were in Berlin I really needed a pair of comfy shoes and since we couldn't find anything second hand (that's the downside, you can't just walk in and they'll automatically be well stocked on everything you might need), I bought a pair of really nice slippers for 10 Eur.

Cheap... - but not a bargain.


After a few weeks of extensive use, they're already falling apart. Now, that means I paid 10 Euros for, say, 3 weeks of shoe-use. That means you paid about 3 Euros for every week you used them.
If I buy a good quality (maybe even sustainably produced) pair for 190 Euros and keep it for 3 years, that would be 190 Euros for 156 weeks of shoe use, which cuts down to a bit more than one Euro a week... and they will be better quality and, easier on the environment. (My favourites atm: elNaturalista)

I really have to learn to buy quality. I am just such a cheap-o ^^

Self portrait Thursday - W34/11

There was a big storm here yesterday and today I feel pretty much the same way the world looked this morning... a bit shaken, still dripping, but gladly smiling into the golden rays of the sun.

I had one of the dark days, the first one since I changed my diet, actually. It started out pretty ok, I spent the day in the city, reading a book by the lake and avoiding doing any serious stuff. I thought the heat was getting to me, but actually I just got gloomier and gloomier and by the time we were on the train home I knew that this was a dive.
Strangely enough I did not feel panicky, nor did I get into a vicious circle of scoulding myself into feeling even worse. I knew I wouldn't be able to do anything reasonable until I'd finished the book anyways, so I finished it. Then I was just lying on the bed, listening to my soul being gloomy and complaining about the responsibility of having to decide what to do with something so precious as a life... hearing the world turn in the night outside the window... It felt OK.
I know I have these days and I cannot avoid them. They are part of the process, they are good because they remind me to question everything I invest my energies in every now and again and set my compass anew.

These days used to be the beginning of the end, of breakdowns that would leave me so shattered on the inside it took days or weeks to restore.
I think I have learned quite a lot this year.

The dark days are my friends.

I am OK. The storm has passed. :o)

Creating success around the world

Welcome to
Creating Success around the World

The worldwide blog hop tour, that introduces you to creative people from all corners of the globe.

Every Wednesday our hosts on each continent will introduce you to someone new whose creativity is inspiring!

Here's how you can take this worldwide tour with us:

You can follow all the hosts to support them and keep up to date with the fabulous posts they will share every week.  Then if you are inspired to join, just link up your own blog to make some new international friends.

Remember to leave us a comment when you follow us so we can follow you back! And of course we'd love if you added our button to your site to help spread the word!


<center><a href="http://theshinybubble.blogspot.com/search/label/creating%20success%20around%20the%20world"><img border="0" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5154/5885118262_70f75d2c7f_m.jpg"/></a></center>
Here are your hosts:
Make sure you visit them all to see the inspiration and creative people every continent has to add to our community.
Australasia - Jill @ Creating my way to Success
Europe - Yaga @ The Shiny Bubble
The Americas - Suzy @ Suzy's Artsy Craftsy Sitcom
Asia - Janelle @ Of Pinks and Fairytales
Africa - Adepeju @ Peekadot

---------------------------------------------------------------- Europe

At this point, there should be the banner that shows which part of Europe our guest is from. But today, this is the place for my little walk of shame... I have been so keen on inviting Angela to this interview that I totally missed that she acutally lives in the U.S.!!! Oooh, bear with my confused head, dear world! There I go, walk of shame, walk of shame. 

I could never not have her though, she's just so inspiring and I've been so excited about this that I will -in the best sense of creativity- bend the rules a tiny bit for this week. ;o)

Angie's blog is called "Sew I thought" and shows tidbits of her personal life and projects, and an inspiring load of her projects of making and remaking clothing. She makes beauties out of old thriftshop finds or takes her sewing machine to a piece of fabric so expertedly that one wonders if she shouldn't just open a boutique... after all, she can't be wearing all those clothes, can she? Our hopes are not idle, for you can actually get to wear stuff from Angela, have a look around in her online shop!

Tell us a bit about your trade: What do you create, how and where do you sell your things,

how long have you been doing this?

----------------------------------------------------

Well first off I’m Angie and I blog at Sewithought.com,  I work a full time job as a nurse but my real passion is for sewing and remaking clothing. I love to take a giant dress I thrifted for a dollar and turn it into something completely different. Right now I sell vintage clothing on my Etsy shop (sewithoughtvintage) and I also sell handcrafted items locally at craft fairs and farmer’s markets. I’ve been doing this for about 2 years.

 

Please, tell us a little bit about the place and the country that you live in.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

I live in Scottsdale, Az. Its the southwest deserty part of the United States. Right now it is upwards of 110-115 degrees. Yucky... but it’s a great place with mild winters and a great mix of arts, food, and culture .

Do you think that your surroundings influence your creativity? How? 

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The Phoenix area is really turning around into a place where people are passionate about creating and people here really appreciate locally made and handmade goods. Of course some areas aren’t so open but if you know where to look its a great source of inspiration.

How and why did you 'pick' your creative outlet of choice?

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

I have always loved clothes but always wished I could tweak them to be a bit more of my own style. So one day I just bought myself a sewing machine and started to experiment. Over the past few years I have taught myself everything I know about sewing mostly through trial and error. Sewing has been such a wonderful outlet.

 

 Why did you decide to sell what you are creating?

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Eventually once you’ve been sewing long enough and thrifting for good deals you will run out of space. I didn’t want to stop creating or shopping so the natural next step was to start selling.

How did you start your business?

--------------------------------------------

I started selling vintage clothing on Ebay a few years ago and then transitioned to Etsy a year or so ago. I still sell my vintage wares there. I also make bags, accessories, and other sewn goods to sell at craft fairs and farmer’s markets.

What, in your opinion is your biggest strength in your creative life and how does it

influence your work?

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I think my biggest strength is my real passion for sewing. When you truely enjoy and love what you do then it doesn’t really feel like work. I think that other people can really sense when an item is made with real care and love. On top of that I am able to have a good sense of humor about the mistakes I make. You can’t take yourself too seriously.

What would you regard as your greatest weakness in terms of your creativity and how do

you deal with it?

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ugh, my weakness would definitely be procrastination. Thus far i haven’t been too good at handling that but using calendars and setting deadline for myself has helped.

How do you stay motivated and inspired?

-------------------------------------------------------

It is easy to stay inspried by reading other sewing blogs and browsing sites like pinterest. It’s amazing to see all the creative people out in the world.

Where do you see yourself and your creative life in two years? Do you have any plans?

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I’m currently working on designing some basic and fun patterns and plan to create a line of refashioned clothing to sell online. I hope to launch this within a year.

What are your 5 hottest tips for people who want to be more successful with

creating?
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1.      Be realistic. You can’t expect to start making bunches of money right away from any business. It will take time and real work. Set goals and make timelines to keep yourself on track. It’s also a great idea to meet soemone who also crafts to sell. They will be an invaluable resource.

2.      If you are going to be selling crafted items to make a profit be very mindful and keep track of the cost to make each item and the time spent as well. You don’t want to pour hours and hours into an item you will only make a couple of bucks on. This isn’t a fun part of creating but trust me it’ll be worth it when you can track profits and know your time is worth it.

3.      Try sponsoring blogs that you find inspring. This is a great way to get your name and product out there. Try finding a blog that would appeal to someone who would buy your products. It’s usually not too expensive and it promotes a lot of traffic.

4.      Know when to take a break! Getting burned out is a really quick way to ruin your business and all the time you have put into it. Make sure you set time aside to relax. I find this especially important since crafting is something I do on top of a full time career.

5.      And lastly have fun, It’s obvious when someone really has fun with what they do. True passion is catching and when people see that in your wares they will have no choice but love them as much as you do!

Thanks so much for letting me participate!! 

- Billions of thanks to you Angie, I've really been looking forward to your answers and found them very inspiring!

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I often find my guests through our linky list. Link up your blog and you might be the next artist featured in our interviews!

Now it's your turn! Link up your posts: Inspiration, craftsy blahs, tutorials, tips or business talk: We wanna know!

Have fun hopping, reading, linking, connecting... take some time to share your love and inspiration by following, leaving comments and visiting each other.
Happy Wednesday! ;o)

New to the world tour? Check our previous tours here!